There is zero value in the Gold Cup. Send the same scrubs that embarrassed the US last cycle. Bradley, Altidore, Gonzalez, etc. Zardes. Send them all out there. If they win, great. If they lose, who cares. Let the youth play with the youth. No need to infect them with the loser vibe.
The rules for the Eredivisie require that non-EU players under 20 be paid about 75% of the league average salary (€200k vs €270k) while those 20 or older make 150% (€400k).
I get that but for me I'm in for the long play. Develop the kids together and let them win and get some swagger. No need for Bradley to snub them and not pass to them in obvious situations until he thinks they've been chastened by his mightyness enough. U20's as strong as possible. Move the core of that to U23 with the few U21's-U23's worth adding. As soon as Olympic stuff is done move them up together and add the few U24's up to that group.
This is the bold outside the box thinking that the U.S. needs. Only by not playing for the national team will Pulisic become the greatest U.S. national team player in it's history. Pulisic, Adams, and McKennie can get more seasoning with the U-20s (as appropriate) and U-23s. Of course, if (hypothetically speaking) Pulisic was ever dissatisfied with the state of the national team, then nothing would signal that better than sitting out the Gold Cup.
Pulisic and McKennie are not a U20's. Adams is but has moved on. Weah and Sargent are on the cusp but do you really want to watch them play with Bradley and Trap and Yedlin etc or with Dest, Pomykal, Mendez, Llanez? No wrong answer but other than Steffen (and other keepers), Pulisic, Adams and McKennie maybe Brooks how many of the old guard will be around in two years?
It's an opportunity to weed out players and to test 3G's system in a tournament setting. If we're not competing in the 2020 Copa America then this will be our only tournament before the World Cup.
Some bad news confirmed by BL at today's presser: @j_brooks25 will miss VfL's last 2 games. 🙁 "His medial ligament is causing him discomfort. Jay has been a key figure this season, & it's a big shame he’s not available, but the others will fill in for him." #VfBWOB #VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/t52qXLFEDY— VfL Wolfsburg US 🇬🇧🇺🇸 #GetENwithUS (@VfLWolfsburg_US) May 9, 2019
I don't want to watch them play with Trapp and Bradley. But I do want to see them play with Pulisic, Adams and McKennie. I do want to see them with Mendez and Dest and the rest, but when they push Trapp and Bradley out early next year.
It is the only extended camp that European based players can participate in. Just for that, Fed Championship aside, it is a once every two year opportunity.
Goalkeepers (3) Creditor: Steffen, Horvath, Johnson Ives: Steffen, Horvath, Johnson dhc1: Steffen, Horvath, [ ] largegarlic: Steffen, Horvath, [ ] 11Bravo: Steffen, Horvath, Johnson Duke: Steffen, Horvath, Guzan Individual11: Steffen, Horvath, Hamid Modest dissention on third keeper but who cares? Central Defenders (4) Creditor: Brooks, Long, Miazga, Ream Ives: Brooks, Long, Miazga, Ream dhc1: Brooks, Long, Miazga, [ ] largegarlic: Brooks, Long, Miazga, Ream 11Bravo: Brooks, Long, Miazga, Carter-Vickers Duke: Brooks, Long, Miazga, Palmer Brown Individual11: Brooks, Long, Miazga, Carter-Vickers Full agreement on top 3 and modest dissention on fourth spot: Three like Ream though. May become important as Brooks is potentially out. Central Midfielders (5-6) Creditor: McKennie, Trapp, Adams, Lletget, Roldan, Bradley Ives: McKennie, Trapp, Adams, Lletget, Roldan, Bradley dhc1: McKennie, Trapp, Adams, Morales, [ ] largegarlic: McKennie, Trapp, Adams, Lletget, Pomykal, [ ] 11Bravo: Trapp, Adams, Lletget, Roldan, Nagbe Duke: McKennie, Trapp, Adams, Lletget, Roldan, Mihailovic, Boyd Individual11: McKennie, Trapp, Adams, Bradley, Boyd Everyone but 11Bravo agree on McKennie/Adams/Trapp. Lots of opinions here on depth pieces but most like Lletget (5). Others include Roldan 3, Bradley 3. There's such a big falloff from McKennie and Adams on this list IMO and I can't understand how people think MB and Roldan are guys who could get any playing time in B1 like Morales. Yikes. Outside Back/Wing (5-6) Creditor: Yedlin, Arriola, Garza, Lima, Lewis Ives: Yedlin, Arriola, A. Robinson, Lichaj, Lovitz dhc1: Yedlin, Arriola, A. Robinson, Johnson, Chandler, Holmes largegarlic: Yedlin, Arriola, M. Robinson, [ ], [ ] 11Bravo: Yedlin, Arriola, Lima, Johnson, Robinson (not sure which one) Duke: Yedlin, Arriola, F. Johnson, A. Robinson Individual11: Yedlin, Arriola, Robinson (not sure which one), Lichaj, Holmes We need help here, especially with Yedlin likely out. More dissension: FJohnson (3) A. Robinson (3-5) lead the pack Attackers (5) Creditor: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Morris, Ramirez Ives: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Morris, Novakovich dhc1: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Weah/Sargent, Wood largegarlic: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Weah, [ ] 11Bravo: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Novakovich, Weah, Sargent Duke: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Morris, Novakovich, Weah Individual11: Pulisic, Altidore, Zardes, Novakovich, Mueller, Sapong Broad agreement on first three. Other choices: Nova (4), Weah (4), Morris (3) MLS players in squad (underline): Creditor: 14 Ives: 11 dhc1: 5-8 largegarlic: 8-13 11Bravo: 9-10 Duke: 10 Individual11: 9-10
Curious what the reasoning is on Hamid or Johnson other than "because that's been the plan." Like the plan hasn't updated since 2012 or something. I don't get why Robles gets banished for blunders and others blow games and get mulligans. I am not a Guzan fan because I think he is inconsistent, and he is old to run with for 2022, but isn't he better than both, in either historical terms or current stats? Is it that someone who used to be the 1 or 2 can't be the 3?? 0.89 GAA on a struggling Atlanta team. Miller was in the winter camps and is sitting at 0.73 GAA. Gonzalez has never been given his shot and has the same 1 GAA as Hamid, without baggage like 2012 or the Ireland game.
GK: Horvath Gonzo Miller [I want to see who the backups should be and I doubt it hurts our chances much] Backs: Lichaj Lima Laursen Payne Moore Parker CCV Zimmerman Miazga Mids: Green Lletget McKennie Gall Holmes Šabanadžovic Forwards: Pulisic Sargent Weah Robinson Wood Nova [try Robinson as a left winger in a 433 with that crossing ability] Calling up sucky veteran USMNT is a defeatist attitude. There are new players to try even if you send many to U20.
Reports coming out that Adams, Weah, and Sargeant will be on the GC squad. A loaded #RBNY Insider: Chicharito to MLS in 2020 a possibility...FC Cincinnati to hire a sporting director + an EPL coach interested in #FCCincy job...And #GoldCup or U20 World Cup for Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah? Details here:https://t.co/ZO1xopd9bA— Kristian Dyer (@KristianRDyer) May 9, 2019
Yedlin, Long, and Brooks will probably miss out. Holmes is back but may not be in form. Miles Robinson and Opara replace Long and Brooks. My updated roster(based on 3G's formation and tactical preferences):
Alternates: Strikers: Ebobisse: has been an excellent form. Zardes: had been crappy form until last night. Has a good international record. Wood and Sapong are injured. Winger: Antonee Robinson could be moved up from 3G's LB/CB position. Picault: is adjusting to a striker role in the Union's new system, but would be a winger with the NT. A-mid: I'm more optimistic about the U20 talent, tbh. Lletget Mihailovic Corona 8 Morales: merits another look here or at d-mid. Bradley: will probably captain the team , though I think his time has passed. CB: Zimmerman Hagglund LB: Lovitz
Re fitness, for the Europeans and Mexicans this will be offseason, and MLS may be friendly about callups as well. You call up 30+ that the provo roster allows, including players perhaps rusty or less than fit, and you train for a few weeks and even play some friendlies, before you even hit GC. I understand leaving off people for being injured. I understand leaving off people for quick turnaround international dates for fitness or rust concerns. But this is like a pre-season training camp, and we might have players 1-2 weeks before friendlies and 2-3 weeks before GC. If you can't whip that into shape....... Also, I don't understand literally leaving out interesting players -- not even in camp -- for rust concerns. I get cutting people. I don't get they don't even get a call. Is the game that cutting those players would be sensitive? What about they don't even get on the provo roster? That almost sounds more like media/public relations than sincerely managing personnel. You could fool fans into forgetting or going along by leaving them out of camps. But the player knows he's not even getting the initial chance much less dressing in the eventual 23. The only thing is since they aren't Landon the media only discusses who they are in the mood to mention, since the players themselves aren't beefing loudly. I say this because behind the Weah/Sargent layer of grumble-inducement was a second layer of non-U23 type players like Wood, Green, etc. who didn't make it either. Out of sight out of mind I guess. But particularly for a long camp I would treat it like the World Cup, bring my best players in, and if the rust cannot be knocked off Weah/ Sargent/ Green/ Wood in several weeks then they didn't deserve it. And then I'd believe that this gets appropriately evaluated and the coach sticks out his neck, as opposed to they watch some club tape and then hope the fans forgot who got left off entirely.
See the highlights of ATL and Nagbe running roughshed over Bradley in his "defensive" midfield position. It is all Bradley slowly jogging around the ball, trying to look like he's doing something, while ATL easily bypasses him. He also too often drops back to act like a third center-back, when he needs to be applying high pressure on the ball closer to midfield, like what you see from an Adams. At 1:00 Martinez gets off clean shot against Bradley in box. At 1:40 Bradley drops back like a CB when he should have been helping apply pressure to the dribbler, before he gets off the shot that goes off the post. For some reason he turns around and gives the GK a thumbs up, even though the GK didn't even make the save. Classic Bradley false bravado. At 2:30ish Bradley is just meandering around at the top of the box, while the attack unfolds around him. There are multiple opportunities for him to provide pressure, but it looks like his legs are dead. He just points and shouts at his teammates like he's a coach, not the defensive midfielder. A goal is scored. At 3:35, he just stands there like a traffic cone, letting Gressel pick out the long-ball that should have been scored. https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2019-05-08-atlanta-united-fc-vs-toronto-fc/recap We saw the effects of this type of play against Chile, who just set up camp in our defensive third without feeling any pressure. The naive fan doesn't notice his biggest weakness. Bradley isn't always obviously getting dribbled or making turnovers. But he is just incapable of providing effective pressure on the ball at this point in his career (which used to be a strength of his). That will be deadly against decent teams, who will seize on the extra moment to make a splitting pass or fire off a shot.
100% agree. I’ve talked about this before too. He often crowds the center backs and leaves a hole in the midfield.
I think trying to project which U20's will pan out is an impossible exercise, so you should just try to win when you can